Abstract

The advantages of 3D-TSV are well known providing lower power, lower latency and higher performance. There have been challenges related to cost, yield and thermal management among other things that have delayed the commercial success of this architecture. Similarly, in the quest for higher functional density, system-in-package (SiP) architectures have emerged. These products combine memory, logic, sensors, RF, analog and more in a single package decreasing size, weight, latency and power requirement. Many of the challenges that have delayed 3D-TSV and very complex SiP structure have been addressed. In 2014 we will see more products enter the market which employ these architectures and deliver the advantages at a cost acceptable to the market. Recently the energy cost of high speed electrical signaling and the limitations in the physical density of bandwidth have focused efforts on moving the photons closer to the transistors. The next step, bringing the photons to the package, has yet to be commercialized but work is underway. This capability may be a key enabler in reducing latency and providing sufficient bandwidth density to prevent the processing power of future products from being wasted waiting on input/output signaling. The three major innovations in packaging technology of 3D-TSV, complex SiP and photons to the package each hold the promise of reducing power, reducing latency, reducing size and reducing weight while improving performance. We either have solutions or we are close to solutions for each of these new package types, but we have made little progress in combining all three into a single packaging solution. The full benefit of these innovations will only be realized by combining all of them in a single package. This holds the promise of reducing power by orders of magnitude, reducing latency by more than an order of magnitude and reducing size and weight. New materials, new processes, and new package architectures will be required. The new challenges which must be overcome to achieve this vision and the potential solutions will be discussed. Article not available.

© 2014 Optical Society of America